ST. LOUIS — The stages will only get bigger and the lights will shine even brighter with each passing round, as the field of 68 slowly dwindles until a national champion is crowned.
Rising stars and Cinderella stories are beloved during March Madness. Some freeze up on the national stage and fade away. For some it’s an exciting opportunity to return, and for others it’s a dream realized to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State freshman Killyan Toure is one of many players going dancing for the first time. But the French-born Toure doesn’t anticipate freezing up on the big stage.
“I feel good. For me though, I’m sorry guys, it’s not like a big thing because I didn’t watch college basketball growing up,” Toure said. “But all of my friends, they’re crazy. They’re really happy for me and I understand that’s a big event, especially for you guys in the United States, but of course I just want to be champions. I will do anything possible to help the team and with my teammates, we’ll do our best to enjoy this tournament.”
Toure’s first real exposure to watching the NCAA Tournament came as a high school senior, when he moved stateside and attended powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire to finish his high school career. He kept tabs on the Cyclones and enjoyed other games.
Now he’s looking to follow the lead of his older teammates and coaches and perform well in March.
While the transfer portal and NIL have made it possible for teams to fast-track the roster-building process and assemble talented rosters, there’s still something to be said about having experience and continuity around this time of year.
In a win-or-go-home situation, experience during this time of year remains valuable.
Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic, Nate Heise and Cade Kelderman have all experienced the NCAA Tournament.
Blake Buchanan has too, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament when he was still at Virginia. The Cavaliers got bounced out of the opening round as a 10-seed following a 25-point loss to Colorado State.
Their voices and ability to lead by example, especially senior leaders Lipsey and Jefferson, are vital for the Cyclones.
“Their urgency, you can see it show up in how they practice, you can see it show up in how they watch film and everything that they do,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said about having players with NCAA Tournament experience. “Leadership is far more about example and action-based than it is sometimes about what you say. We’re fortunate with the leaders that we have, they set the tone every single day.”
Sometimes past experiences can provide further motivation for the present.
“Sticks with us, and it sticks with me a lot, just because the last two tournaments — how it ended — not the way I wanted,” Momcilovic said. “That’s why we work hard in the summer and fall for moments like these, so I think that adds more fuel to the fire and hopefully come out and play well this tournament.”
European players Toure and Dominykas Pleta Perhaps didn’t get as much exposure to March Madness. Other newcomers such as Wisconsin native Jamarion Batemon have seen plenty of NCAA games. It will be vital to get everyone in unison as they march forward through the tournament field.
Iowa State’s emphasis on consistency and daily habits help bring an equilibrium to these players, but veteran presence also has a major role.
“(Toure) was aggressive to get to his spots to knock the shot down, you know, just felt a tremendous level of confidence,” Otzelberger of Toure’s recent solid play. “That’s a byproduct of having Tamin Lipsey out there with you every day and watching how he does it, learning from him, seeing how to do it. That’s a credit to Tamin’s leadership, and I think as the year’s gone on, Killyan and Joshua have developed a great trust and confidence in one another.”
Off the bench, Pleta and Batemon continue to learn and develop from their peers.
“We’ve seen them kind of on a gradual climb from the start of the season to where we are now,” Otzelberger said. “They both continue to improve and bring so much to our team. … I know that Batemon’s even looked up to Heise in terms of being a great defender, being a guy who can knock down shots, being a great rebounder for a guard.
“With Pleta, his work habits and how he challenges and pushes himself is so much different than what it was at the start of the year.”
Iowa State has been in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four years, with Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2024. The Cyclones have a Final Four in 1944, when the NCAA Tournament was only an eight-team field, but in the modern expanded version, the furthest they’ve gone is an Elite Eight in 2000.
A team with Final Four potential, the second-seeded Cyclones (27-7) will open the NCAA Tournament against Ohio Valley Conference champion, 15-seed Tennessee State (23-9). Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, March 20, at 1:50 p.m. CT from the Enterprise Center.
“We’re really healthy this year, and I think we played very well in the Big 12 Tournament,” Momcilovic said. “Obviously, lost on a last-second shot, but we’re playing very well right now. We’re confident.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball veterans set tone for NCAA Tournament newcomers
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
